ASA CA Weekly Alert

*1) Correction: Court Support for Bryan Epis - Hearing Date Postponed
Until February!
2) January 17th, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt
3) January 20th, San Francisco: Court Support for San Francisco
Dispensary Defendants
4) January 21st, Merced:** Merced County Patients Coalition Meeting*
*5) January 24th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
6) January 26th, San Francisco: Court Support for Eddy Lepp
**7) January 26th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting*
*8) Reminder: ASA is Seeking Submissions for Medical Marijuana Film Festival
*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*
1) Correction: Court Support for Bryan Epis - Hearing Date Postponed
Until February!**

*Bryan will NOT be having a hearing on January 17th. The hearing has
been delayed until February 27th. Watch our weekly alerts for more details.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*2) Tuesday, January 17th, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt*

Status hearing at 9:00am before Judge Anthony W. Ishii in U.S. District
Court, 5^th Floor, 1130 "O" Street, Fresno, CA. Despite Joe Fortt
closing the doors to his Bakersfield medical marijuana dispensary,
American Kenpo Kungfu School of Public Health, a day after the Gonzales
v. Raich decision, three places of cultivation were raided and he was
arrested on July 20, 2005. Allegedly, over 2,000 plants were seized and
Fortt was subsequently charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess
more than 1,000 plants. Fortt is currently incarcerated in Fresno.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*3) Friday, January 20th, San Francisco: Court Support for San Francisco
Dispensary Defendants*

Status hearing at 11:00am before Judge Susan Illston in U.S. District
Court, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco. On June 22, 2005, less than three
weeks after the Gonzales v. Raich decision, three dispensaries were shut
down in San Francisco by the DEA, with full cooperation of the San
Francisco Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies.
Twenty people were indicted on charges ranging from marijuana
cultivation to money laundering. The DEA also worked collaboratively
with media to sensationalize the raid by referring to the arrestees as
part of an "Asian Mafia."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*4) January 21st, Merced: Merced County Patients Coalition Meeting

*From Nick Osborne:

Join us and others to help protect our rights and support those who are
not able to be as active and who don't have the ability to speak out to
the public arena. We hope to see you there. Topics for the agenda
include: court support- organizing-website material and content-
donations-clothes drive for February, and February agenda items.The
meeting will begin at 1:30pm, on January 21st, 2006.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*5) Tuesday, January 24th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
*
ASA-SF Meeting
Tuesday, January 24th @ 7pm
223-A 9th St @ Howard, San Francisco

Come to the 2nd ASA-SF Meeting of 2006 Kick off the new year right, by
helping us fulfill our new years resolution to create safe access for
all patients in need of medicinal marijuana.

For more info contact: Tony 415-283-7404

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*6) Thursday, January 26th, San Francisco: Court Support for Eddy Lepp

*Trial at 2:30pm before Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in Courtroom 15 on the
18^th floor of U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco.
Lepp, a caregiver for hundreds of patients, operated a medical marijuana
farm in Lake County, CA. He was arrested on August 18, 2004 in a DEA
raid on his farm, and charged with cultivation. Lepp was then
re-arrested February 16, 2005 and charged with distribution of
marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and maintaining a
premises for the purpose of cultivating marijuana.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*7) January 26th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting

*Sacramento ASA has begun meeting again and they're busy strategizing on
ways to effect local, state and national policies.

The Sacramento medical marijuana community was once extremely active
with Americans for Safe Access. Sac ASA met regularly, organized a huge
rally for Bryan Epis at the Capitol, and did all they could to protect
patients' rights.

Patients and advocates in the Sacramento area are coming together again
to reinvigorate ASA. Please join them at their bi-weekly meetings:

Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Capitol Wellness Collective
2400 14th Street, Sacramento

Patients and non-patients are welcome. This is a great opportunity to
get involved with ASA and to work on both local and national campaigns.

For more information, please call 916-325-9000.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
*
8) Reminder: ASA is Seeking Submissions for Medical Marijuana Film Festival

*
Two years ago, ASA hosted the Medical Marijuana Film Festival in
Oakland. It was a big success, with Martin O' Brien winning the
'People's Choice Award' for his documentary /Regarding Medical Marijuana./

ASA is hosting the 2nd Medical Marijuana Film Festival at the Parkway
Speakeasy Theater in downtown Oakland during Medical Marijuana Week 2006
(Thursday, February 16th @ 9:15), and we need your submissions! Winners
will be chosen. Prizes given! The only rules are that films must be
original, focused on medical marijuana, and no more than fifteen minutes
long (feel free to submit a portion of your film).

Please pass this message on to all the videographers, filmmakers, and
documentarians you know with a possible submission, and ask them to
contact Rebecca at rebecca [at] safeaccessnow.org for more information.

*Submission Instructions:*

Please send films in DVD format to:

Rebecca Saltzman
Americans for Safe Access
1322 Webster Street Ste. 208
Oakland, CA 94612

Submissions must be received by Monday, January 23rd, but we encourage
you to send them as soon as possible.

--
Rebecca Saltzman
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
p (510) 251-1856
f (510) 251-2036
http://www.safeaccessnow.org